Latching device



C. AALBORG.

LATCHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. I918.

Patented Oct 2 SHEETSSHEE] IINVENTOR Chr/Sf/ZM flax/bog WITNESSESATTdRNEY c. AALBORG. LATCHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21 191B.

Patented Oct. 117, m2.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IA3QA3U WITNESSES:

INVENTOR (hr/377m ATTORNEY if atented l 12922,

CHRISTIAN AALBOBG, 0F WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 10 WESTENG-HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A COEPQRATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

LATCI-IING DEVECE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN AALBORG, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of W ilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in LatchingDevices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to latching devices and particularly tomagnetically-operated latching devices for circuit interrupters.

One object of my invention is to provide a device of the above-indicatedcharacter that shall be simple and durable in construction and employ anoperating magnet of minimum size.

Another object of my invention is to pro vide a movable latching memberthat shall be so constructed as to eliminate the shearing of theengaging portions of the same and that shall be so supported byfrictionless means as to reduce the time of operation thereofsubstantially to a minimum.

A further object of my invention is to provide a latching device for amovable member, that it is desired to hold in a predetermined position,in which the forces acting between the same and the movable member aresecurely and, at the same time, so delicately balanced in the latchingposition as to require substantially a minimum of effort to operate thelatching device.

In the operation of circuit interrupters, speed is necessary to obtainsatisfactory results and the protection which they are adapted tosupply. In the prior art, circuit interrupters have been constructedwith latching members between which and the member being held there hasusually existed relatively great forces and, consequently, considerablefriction and shearing stress. These have required relatively greatactuating forces and magnets of suflicient size to supply the same.Further, the shearing of the interlocked members frequently so damagedthe devices as to render them inoperative, resulting in expensiverepairs, loss of time and other inconveniences. The employment ofmovable parts of relatively slow acceleration caused by inertia andfriction, has affected the speed of operation of circuit interruptersand latches.

In practicing my invention, I provide engaging members disposed bet-weenthe movable member of a circuit breaker and the 1918. Serial No.241,266.

latching device therefor and attached to each of the same,'respectively,that are so related, through co-operating faces, and so rotatable abouta substantially common axis to effect an extremely delicate and, at thesame time, secur ly balanced latching means that may be released by arelatively slight effort and between which damaging shearmg stresses areeliminated.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a front elevational view of acircuit interrupter embodying my invention; Figs. 2 and 3 are,respectively, a top and side fragmentary view, partially in elevationand partially in section, of the latching device shown in Fig. 1; Figs.4: and 5 are views similar to Figs. 2 and 3, respectively, of a modifiedform of latching device and Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views of afurther modification of the same.

A circuit interrupter 1, that may be connected in series relation withconductors 2 of an electric circuit, comprises, in general, a supportingmember or frame 3, stationary main contact members 4, stationaryauxiliary arclng contact members 5, and a slidable rod 6 having a mainbridging contact member 7 and an auxiliary bridging contact member 8mounted at the upper end thereof.

The rod 6 is guided by a bearing member 9 and is provided with aninsulating member 10 to separate its upper portion 11 from its lowerportion 12. A. spring 13 is disposed between the bearing member 9 and anenlarged lower-end portion 1 1 of the rod 6 for the purpose of exertinga downward force on the rod. The enlarged lower end portion 1 1 of therod 6 constitutes a bear mg member for a transversely disposed rotatlvepm 15 having a cylindrical portion 16 within the portion 14L and asubstantiall semi-cylindrical projecting portion 17. stationaryprojecting portion 18 on the frame 3 constitutes a bearing member for arotative pin 19 similar to the pin 15. In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the axes ofthe pins 15 and 19 are parallel in horizontal planes and slightly spacedapart. The pins 15 and 19 may be similarly protected against frictionalresistance to the rotative movement of the same by co-operation withballs 20 11] the bearing portions 1a and 18.

The plane faces of the semi-cylindrical portions of the pins 15 and 19engage in a horizontal plane in the latching position and, by reason ofthe slightly spaced relation of the axes of the pins, the pressureexerted by the rod 6 causes the same to tend to rotate in acounter-clockwise direction (Fig. 1). This rotation may be prevented byan arm 21 on the pin 19 that engages a latch 22 on an armature 23 of anelectromagnet 24. The armature 23 may be pivoted to a core member 25 ofthe magnet 24 and biased to its engaged position with respect to the arm21 by a spring 26.

By reason of the slight turning movement exerted by the pin 15 aroundthe axis of the pin 19, the force exerted and, consequently, thefriction between the arm 21 and the latch 22 are relatively slight and,therefore, the latter require very little actuating force to disengagethe same. This permits the use of a relatively small magnet, resultingin the saving of materials and effecting a relatively great increase inthe speed with which such a device may operate. When the arm 21 isreleased, it turns quickly in the counterclockwise direction, whichaction places the engaging faces of the pins 15 and 19 in a positionthat is in alignment with the direction of movement of the rod 6 as aresult of which the same may drop beyond the pin 19 to open theinterrupter.

In Figs. 4 and 5, the structure is substantially the same, with thedifference that the axes of the pins 15 and 19 are in alignment. In theclosed position, there is nothing to disturb the relation betweenthepins, regardless of the pressure between them, since they are engagedby flat faces at right angles to the direction of the motion of the rod6. The arm 21, in this form of device, will be started in thecounter-clockwise direction when the latch 22 disengages the same by aspring 27, after which the force exerted by the rod 6 will'be suflicientto complete the movement.

In Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the device is adapted for latching an arm 28thatmay be pivoted to a pin 29. In this form of device the cooperating facesof the pins 15 and 19 may lie in a surface all points of which are lociof a circle described about the pin 29. Fig. 6 shows the closed orlatched position of such a device and Fig. 7 shows a position of thesame after disengagement of the pins 15 and 19. The stationary bearingportion 18 of the pin 19 may be provided with arcuate projections 30 orother means for guiding the pin 15 into and out of its latched position.

While I have shown and described particular forms of my invention,changes may be effected therein without departing from the spirit andscope thereof, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A latching device comprising a movable member, a rotatable memberdisposed thereon and having its axis of rotation on, and at right anglesto, the path of travel of said member, a stationary member and a secondrotatable member disposed in said stationary member and having its axisof rotation in the path of travel of said first rotatable member.

2. A latching device comprising two relatively movable members having acommon path of travel and each being rotatable about an axisintercepting said path and means for preventing said members frompassing each other under certain predetermined con ditions and forpermitting the same to pass under certain other predeterminedconditions. 1

3. A latching device comprising two relatively movable rotatable membersadapted to intercept on a commonfpath of travel, means whereby the samemay be normally locked in intercepted position and means whereby saidmembers may rotate about a common axis to permit the same to pass eachother. V

1. A latching device comprising a movable member, a rotative membermounted thereon, a stationary supporting member, anda sec- 0nd rotativemember mounted on said supporting member, said rotative members havingco-operating engaging portions of such configuration as to prevent themovement of said movable member under predetermined conditions. 1

5. A latching device comprising two relatively movable members adaptedto intercept on a common path of travel, said members beingindependently rotatable in addition to the relative movement of the sameand means whereby the same may be normally locked'in interceptedposition, when in a predetermined rotated position to prevent saidmovement.

6. A latching device comprising a movable member, a rotative membermounted thereon and having an operating face, a stationary member, asecond rotative member mounted on said stationary member and having anoperating face, the axes of said rotative members being parallel and theoperating faces thereof being adapted for engagement with each other,means for preventing disengagement of said faces to prevent the movementof said movable member and means for releasing said preventing means topermit the movement of said movable member.

7. A latching device comprising relatively-movable co-operating latchingmembers, a latching member associated with one of saidrelatively-movable members and movable with respect thereto, saidco-operatmg latching members having cooperating faces of predeterminedconfiguration, and means for maintaining the said faces substantially inparallelism at all times.

1 ,aeaaee 8. A latching device comprising relatively-movableco-operating latching members, and a latching member associated with oneof said relatively-movable members and movable with respect thereto,said co-operating latching members having co-operating faces ofpredetermined configuration, and means for guiding one of the saidco-operating latching members into a position wherein the said facescome opposite each other during movement of the said co-operatinglatching member to closed position.

9. A latching device comprising relatively-movable members, a latchingmember rotatably mounted on each of said relativelymovable membershaving a portion for engagement with the other and means for so movingthe latching members during the unlatching operation as to preventshearing of the engaged portions.

10. A latching device comprising relatively movable members havingco-operating engaging faces conforming substantially to the path ofmovement of said members, said faces being adapted to lie in a positionintercepting said path in the latched position of the same and to havetheir relative positions in said path so changed as to permit theunlatching of the members and means for maintaining the said faces insubstantially parallelism at all times.

11. A latching device comprising a movable member to be latched, aturnable member thereon, a main turnable latch for holding said movablemember through said turnable member having a relatively-slight turningmoment with respect to the latter and an auxiliary latch for engagingsaid main latch at a relatively great distance from the position ofengagement of the latter with said turnable member.

12. A latching device comprising two relatively movable members adaptedto intercept each other to hold one thereof in intercepted position andmeans for turning the said members to present an unobstructed path formovement of one of them to its open position, before the commencement ofits movement along said path.

13. A latching device comprising two relatively movable members adaptedto intercept each other to hold one thereof in intercepted position andmeans whereby said members are so moved as to present an unobstructedpath for movement of one of them to its open position, before thecommencement of its movement along said path.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th dayof May, 1918.

CHRISTIAN AALBORG.

